I am getting so old.

The pieces are finally coming together to allow me to start recording again.  Windows 7: check.  New Cubase 5: check.  Now we’re ready to configure the recording setup.

Using an Emu 0404 as input, I have two mono inputs for my use.  Outboard, I have a Mackie 1642 that will do mixing duties for traditional gear.  It has 4 mono busses, so I routed two of them to the 0404’s inputs.  That will let me selectively choose what inputs I want to record.  Aside from having a cable plugged into the wrong port in the back, it was a snap.  The physical is simple.  The virtual is a little unknown to me, which is where I felt old.

The request I wanted seemed simple: I did not want to monitor the input.  If I wanted to monitor the input, I would do it through Cubase, which would send it to the main output.  Obviously I want to monitor the main output.  Reading through documentation (ugh), I found some diagrams that seemed to explain what needed to be done.  The 0404 talks to the input and the speakers through physical connections.  Cubase talks to the 0404 (not the input and not the speakers) through virtual connections – ASIO connections.

So after a good hour of tweaking, I got the routing correct and working.  Then, just to prove to myself that I understood what was going on, I reset everything to defaults and started over.  But after resetting everything, it worked without any tweaks.  So now I don’t even know what to think.

Bottom line is, I’m not doing anything musical tonight.  No wonder those that can afford studio time just do it.